This time of year has always been busy for our family, 23rd Dad's Birthday, 24th Christmas Eve, 25th Christmas, 26th Boxing Day or Christmas II then 27th-30th to recover! A solid week of family fun!
There was always a cloud over Christmas when I was younger, being bullied by my cousins! Now it is the highlight of my year as we all crack jokes about how we used to avoid the Queens speech by cramming into uncles room [the smallest in the house], how Lauren, Naheela and I used to always get matching presents....as did our mothers [matching novelty toilet seats anyone?! no-one knows where Nan found them], how Nehemiah used to pile his food up on his plate and somehow still finish it while we all struggled. We are no longer the children of the family and this year was when I could see the change.
We found ourselves telling Lanai and Sariah off for rummaging around the Christmas tree for presents only to laugh at how Nan used to lock the front room to keep us out, laughing at Curtis waiting to eat until Christopher and Tamara came; reminiscent of Christmas dinner shifts at Nan’s house! I love when my family all get together as it always results in the joys of family banter, Granddad was on top form as always fuelled by Family Fortunes and watching us play Sonic and Mario Olympics on the Wii! That evening we went to our other aunts house where yet another branch of the family were.....this time the front room entertained a battle of the sexes on the Wii fit; [for the record the girls massacred the boys!] Different people but still the family banter continued till the early hours [my stomach hurts from laughing so hard!].
Today the family came to our house. Some see Boxing Day as the day to eat left over’s...nope we cooked what essentially was another Christmas meal! Today we sat, we ate, we played games, and again we reminisced. There are so many differences amongst my immediate family but none of them matter, we are family and that bond will never be broken. It is now half eleven and the remainder of the day is mine. While packing away my Christmas memories there is one tradition left, writing the letters of the year. Usually these go to members of my family or OLD friends but this year the letters of the year go to a new group of people most of whom are oblivious to this tradition. This year has been better than anything I could have mustered in my vacular head and I wouldn't change it for the world.
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